U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,158 describes a sheet metal electrical terminal comprising parallel spaced apart plate-like members which have aligned conductor-receiving slots. The terminal further has a contact portion comprising side-by-side arms that extend from the plate-like members and which engage a complementary contact terminal when the two terminals are mated. Terminals of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,158 have come into widespread usage and are highly regarded for the reason that a conductor can be connected to the terminal by merely moving the conductor laterally of its axis and into the conductor-receiving slots. A variety of tools and automatic machines have been developed for connecting individual conductors to terminals contained in an insulating housing. Terminals of the general type described in the above-identified U.S. patent thus permit manufacture of electrical harnesses at minimum cost and in a variety of forms.
Presently available terminals of the general type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,158 are somewhat limited as regards the characteristics of the contact portion of the terminal. The terminal shown in that patent has a contact portion comprising side-by-side arms which receive a complementary terminal post between their opposed surfaces. Because of the manner in which these terminals are manufactured, the side-by-side arms cannot conveniently be resiliently biased against each other and the terminal is therefore limited with regard to the amount of contact force which can be developed when the terminal is mated with a complementary terminal. Under some circumstances, a relatively high contact force is required and existing terminals of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,158 are incapable of satisfying the requirement of a high contact force.
In accordance with one aspect thereof, the invention is directed to the achievement of a terminal of the general type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,158 having contact arms which are resiliently biased against each other thereby to provide a relatively high contact force when the terminal is mated with a complementary terminal.
A further shortcoming of terminals of the general type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,158 is that when such terminals are assembled to a multi-conductor connector, the terminals must be positioned in side-by-side spaced apart relationship and the contact portions of the terminals are such that the connector cannot be designed to be mated with a plurality of simple terminal tabs which are disposed in parallel planes with each terminal located relatively close to its immediate neighbors. It is common practice in the manufacture of many electrical devices to provide simple rectangular tabular tabs in spaced-apart relationship with the tabs in parallel planes and a connector for an array of tabs must be capable of being mated with the tabs.
In accordance with a further aspect thereof, the present invention is directed to the achievement of a terminal which can be assembled to a connector housing and which can be mated with closely spaced terminal tabs in side-by-side relationship with the tabs in parallel spaced apart planes.
In accordance with further aspects thereof, the invention is directed to the achievement of a terminal which can be provided with a wide variety of contact portions to satisfy varying requirements in electrical connectors; for example, the terminal may be provided with contact arms for engagement with a tab, or with an integral rectangular tab for engagement with a complementary receptacle terminal, or with a cylindrical contact portion for engagement with a cylindrical socket on a complementary terminal.
A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a stamped and formed electrical terminal of the type having a conductor-receiving end and a contact end, a conductor-receiving portion extending from the conductor-receiving end and a contact portion extending from the contact end, and a transition portion between the conductor-receiving portion and the contact portion. The conductor-receiving portion comprises first and second aligned flat plate-like members which are connected to each other, the plate-like members having aligned conductor-receiving slots so that a conductor can be moved laterally of its axis and into the conductor-receiving slots. The transition portion and the contact portion each comprise first and second sections which extend in side-by-side relationship from the first and second plate-like members respectively. The terminal is characterized in that at least the first section of the transition portion has an arcuate surface which is contiguous with the first plate-like member and has a generally U-shaped part at the juncture with the contact portion. The arcuate surface of the first section fairs from a surface of maximum radius to a surface of minimum radius which in turn merges with the U-shaped part of the first section of the transition portion. The U-shaped part has opposed sidewalls which are connected to each other by a web. The contact portion comprises at least one contact arm which extends from the U-shaped part of the first section.
In accordance with further embodiments, the second section of the transition portion is a substantial mirror image of the first section of the transition portion and the contact portion comprises at least a first pair of contact arms, each of which extends from one of the sidewalls of the U-shaped part of the first section of the transition portion.
In accordance with further embodiments, the first pair of contact arms extend convergently towards each other and are resiliently biased against each other at a location proximate to the contact end.
In accordance with further embodiments, the first and second aligned plate-like members of the conductor-receiving portion are connected to each other by spaced-apart connecting straps at the conductor-receiving end of the terminal. In an alternative embodiment, the first and second aligned plate-like members have corresponding side edges and the first and second plate-like members are connected to each other by a connecting web which extends between one corresponding pair of side edges.
In accordance with a further embodiment, the arcuate surfaces of the first and second sections of the transition portion are concave with respect to a medial plane that extends parallel to, and is between the planes of, the first and second plate-like members and the U-shaped parts of the first and second sections are opposed to each other with the webs of the U-shaped parts remote from each other and with the sidewalls of the first and second sections adjacent to each other. In an alternative embodiment, the arcuate surfaces of the first and second sections of the transition portion are convex with respect to a medial plane that extends parallel to, and is between the planes of, the first and second plate-like members and the U-shaped parts of the first and second sections are opposed to each other with the webs of the U-shaped parts adjacent to each other and with the sidewalls of the first and second sections remote from each other.
In accordance with a further embodiment, the contact portion comprises first and second pairs of contact arms in the first and second sections respectively, each pair of contact arms projecting as extensions of the sidewalls of the U-shaped parts of the first and second sections of the transition portion. The contact arms of each pair extend convergently towards each other and are resiliently biased against each other at a location proximate to the contact end of the terminal.
In accordance with a further embodiment, at least one latch arm is provided in the contact portion for latching the terminal to a complementary terminal, the latch arm projecting as an extension of the web of the U-shaped part of the first section, the latch arm having engaging means for engaging complementary engaging means on a complementary terminal. In an alternative embodiment, a second latch arm projects as an extension of the web of the U-shaped part of the second section. A further embodiment has a locking ear which extends from the web portion of the U-shaped part of one of the sections laterally of the longitudinal axis of the terminal to the web portion of the U-shaped part of the other section and is in locking engagement with the other section.